Essential Rules of Basic PhotographyJesus Huerta

Simplicity

Declutter the background, zoom in tight to eliminate background "distractions", or change your angle so your subject remains the focus of the image.

The primary focus of attention is the red flower while everything in front and in back of the flower is blurred out. The exposure is 0 because the light areas and dark areas are balanced. This photograph has a deep depth of field to blur out the leafs in the background, but leaving the flower with complete detail. I used a soft light for this picture to enhance the texture of the flower. The use of only 2 colors makes the red flower pop out even more with the green background. The flower is at the center of the frame to bring it to attention.

Rule of thirds

Frame your image with the subject off center it's more pleasing to the eye and appears more natural than placing the subject in the center.

The main subject of this photograph is the person. It has the right balance of light and shadows with the exposure of 0. The person is in focus along with the background. This makes the depth of field very shallow, but in this situation it is appropriate. We used soft light to lessen the shadows on his face. There are about 5 different colors that contribute to the image to give the photo a feeling. The person is not on the center of the frame, but to the right.

Leading lines

Use architectural lines - walls, fences, roads, or any lines to lead the eye through the photograph and draw attention toward the main subject.

The focus of attention is the person, however the pattern in the fence that lead up to her contrasts the image. The exposure was set at 0 to get the right balance of light. The depth of field is deep to blur out the background, but leaves some lines. We used soft light. There are 3 different colors in the image. This allows the photo to be easier to look at and understand. The person is centered to give more attention to her.

Spacing

In this photograph we focused on the depth of field. The first thing you notice is the person smiling. We kept the exposure at 0 to get a good contrast of her face. We also used soft light to ease the details of her face. There are only 3 colors that bring more attention to her. We used the rule of thirds here as well to have the background more visible.